


The Tell-Tale Heart

by Tigresse



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Friendship/Love, Ghost Sebastian, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other, Spooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 22:04:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11930208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigresse/pseuds/Tigresse
Summary: Friendless criminal mastermind Jim finds companionship and love in a ghost flatmate. Can they have a happy ending?





	The Tell-Tale Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fabricdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabricdragon/gifts).



Jim entered the house and dropped the keys into the bowl on top of the multi-pedestal wooden oriental table. It rattled loudly and the next sounds were that of a door opening and closing and footsteps approaching him. Jim rolled his eyes. 

“Please tell me why you don’t walk through walls or keep it down,” he called out loudly, “You are a fucking ghost. You shouldn’t be so fucking obvious and so fucking noisy.” 

He saw the apparition standing at the other end of the large sitting room and looking at him with a cheek splitting smile. The first time he had seen him, he had almost shit himself. The apartment he had moved into a year ago, a ridiculously expensive and opulent penthouse atop a fancy high rise tower, was supposedly haunted by a recently deceased man who also happened to be the previous owner. Nobody wanted to take it but Jim did so without any hesitations. He didn’t fear the dead, he feared the living. Dead cops and dead enemies couldn’t hurt him, it was the still-alive ones, who bothered him every day and hunted him down constantly, that annoyed the hell out of him. 

Within the first week he had realized the rumours were true. The place was haunted and the man who had died there hadn’t bothered to move out at all. But over the past year he had gone from shitting bricks at the sight of the ghost to actually enjoying his presence and company. He had learned a lot about the man within the first month and the closer they grew, the more human like the ghost became. From a fleeting apparition like figure it became a vivid image of what had been his former human self. 

His name was Sebastian Augustus Moran and he was an ex-army colonel who had retired prematurely due to some issues with his superiors and settled down fairly well into civilian life, becoming an author and the owner of a small business of private security services. But he had made enemies and one of them had snuck into the apartment and poisoned his whiskey, making him die in his sleep at the young age of thirty-seven. 

Jim had grown close to the ghost and become pretty fond of it. The ghost was almost his housekeeper, spouse, friend and business advisor all rolled into one. Like a housekeeper he ensured Jim had his laundry ready, the rooms vacuumed, the plants watered, the dishes washed and dried and a grocery items list prepared every Sunday. Like a spouse it handed Jim his clothes, towels and got into bed with him at night, talking to him softly till Jim fell asleep. Like a friend it listened patiently to Jim’s rants about bad days and Jim did have quite a few of them. He was the Napoleon of Crime, a criminal mastermind who ran a web that spread across the world. Much to Jim’s delight, Sebastian often offered him good counsel on how to run the web. 

Jim could no longer think about living here alone. It didn’t ever strike him as to what he’d do if Sebastian suddenly got free of his earthly shackles. Once he asked the ghost and the reply was ‘I had an unfair end to my life, this will be a happy ending….or should I say culmination.”

Jim had almost laughed at that. What happy ending would a ghost get? 

Besides being companions and friends, they had been useful to each other in other ways. Sebastian had told him about things he could see with his special powers as a spirit, enabling Jim to take decisions that were beneficial for him, while Jim had killed the man who had so cruelly poisoned Sebastian, right in front of his ghost buddy’s eyes while Sebastian watched with grim satisfaction. 

The happiness Sebastian’s company gave him grounded him and made him feel much better than he had felt before. Weird as it seemed, he could sense that he was in love with the spirit. Sometimes he longed to feel those strong muscular arms around him and those thin soft lips brushing against his skin. 

Today the same Sebastian looked like any other human. Unlike his earlier blurry image, tonight he was almost touchable, someone Jim could feel, hug, sleep with….no no, that wasn’t possible. Jim rebuked himself as he looked at the man standing there, clad in cornflower blue denims and a turtleneck sweater, handsome and sexy with blond mane and blue eyes. God, what wouldn’t Jim give to make him alive again, even if that was for a day! He’d trade his entire wealth, even his life, just to have this strong, tall hunk of a colonel make love to him and cuddle him in their post coital bliss. 

“Bad day?” Sebastian asked. 

Jim exhaled, “Yeah sort of a bad day, almost got killed, but I won at the end.” 

“What happened?” 

“You know that American spy who was tailing me?” 

“Yeah, what about him?” 

“He is dead.” Jim noted Sebastian’s broad smile and sensed that the ghost was keen to talk. He didn’t mind that at all, he was keen to describe the encounter with his nemesis to Sebastian. 

On most other days, Sebastian usually heated the food Jim’s cook had prepared and left in the kitchen, and sat down with him at the dining table while the criminal mastermind ate and talked about his day. Sometimes he even poured him a drink or two. But that evening he didn’t seem to be interested in any of those. He simply walked to the couch and pointed to a spot, requesting Jim to take a seat. As soon as Jim had flopped down on it, he took a seat surprisingly close to him. 

“I think you are a bit clingy tonight,” Jim winked at him wickedly, “You do know you can’t stab me with a prick that isn’t solid meat anymore, right?” 

“How did the conversation go from that dead enemy to my prick?” Sebastian grinned. 

“Oh yeah him, so we had a showdown and I finally got rid of him. It seems I have fulfilled my life’s purpose Sebby. I am the most powerful criminal mastermind the world has ever seen, all those who tried to nab me are dead or incarcerated, all my rivals work for me now and a handful of truly good cops and spies who might have challenged me have now been removed. I am about to get thwacked by a massive storm of boredom very soon.” 

Sebastian’s smile was mysterious, “Or you may experience a new life, with a new purpose, new goals and pleasures and successes!” 

“Mmmm….yeah…..I suppose so….I hope so.” Jim’s murmuring response was followed by a detailed account of how he had tracked the spy, got rid of his allies first, then set a trap for that man and finally lured him out in the open. There had been a gunfight and heads had rolled, but the enemy was finally vanquished. Along with that the message was sent out loud and clear to the world ‘Don’t mess with James Moriarty’. Sebastian listened with an indulgent grin as Jim leaned back against the cushions and made puppy eyes at him, something he did when he needed some sexual relief. That inevitably happened with Jim jerking off or fucking himself with a dildo while the ghost dirty talked him towards his orgasm.

However, Sebastian asked him a question instead of heading towards the bedroom, indicating they were not done talking yet.

“Tell me Jimmy, if I were alive would you have slept with me?” 

“Are you insane? How can you ask?” 

Sebastian blinked. Jim thought he could smell the other man’s soap and cologne. That was strange. 

“I love you,” the ghost answered, “You know that.” 

“And I love you,” Jim pouted, “Of course I would have slept with you. I doubt we would have been able to make it out of bed on certain days. That’s why I asked if you are insane. I mean it’s crazy to even ask something that is so obvious!” 

“A man feared by all, one who doesn’t even fear a ghost, telling me he loves me. I feel like I died and went to Heaven.”

Jim burst out laughing, “Oh you died two years ago but didn’t get an entry ticket to Heaven yet. Or is it me who’s holding you back? Tell me Seb, why do you stay here? What keeps you here? Love?” 

“Love and hope.” 

“Ah I see. By the way, you didn’t get my dinner and drink ready tonight.” 

“I doubt it that you are hungry tonight,” came the prompt response. Jim frowned and placed a hand on his flat stomach, rubbing it slightly and wincing softly as the skin seemed to burn a little there. “In fact, that is true. Usually by this time I am hungry as a wolf but tonight I don’t even feel like nibbling on a cookie. I must be still high on adrenalin. Anyways, let me change and come back outside, then I can have a drink and we can chat some more. I would like to know more about that tiger hunting episode in the eastern forests of India, when the beast sneaked up on you and you had to kill it with a dagger instead of your rifle.” 

“Sure,” Sebastian stood up, his eyes on the mirror in front of him. Jim was standing with his back to the mirror so he couldn’t see it, but Sebastian saw it and a gleeful, wicked, almost deadly grin appeared on his handsome face. 

The mirror reflected nothing except for part of the couch, the coffee table, a pillar, the opposite wall and a slice of the chandelier that hung from the roof. No human reflections, neither his nor Jim’s. Of course Sebastian had not had a reflection in water or glass or any surface for many moons. Till this morning, he had been used to standing behind Jim as the latter fixed his tie in front of the mirror, joking about how ghosts could never really check if their makeup or hairdo were good enough. Aaaand, as Colonel Sebastian Moran had more or less expected, now even Jim didn’t have a reflection. He had seen the truth about his beloved the moment Jim had walked in through the door. This was the final confirmation. 

He counted till ten and sure enough, the scream came. 

“Seb….Sebastian….this blood….the wound….I am fucking shot….Sebbyyyyy!” 

Sebastian Moran strode to the bedroom, ready to start a new life with Jim Moriarty. But first, he had to help the poor baby reconcile himself with the truth and accept his situation. 

Love and hope had paid off. Sebastian had his happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Sebastian seems more real and touchable to Jim because they are part of the same world now. Title is a reference and a big salute to Edgar Allen Poe's works!
> 
> For Fabricdragon! Thanks for your encouraging comments :)


End file.
